3rd February 2020, Bhopal: The 21st Edition of Indian cinema’s biggest celebration - IIFA Weekend and Awards is all set to bring its global brand presence to the culturally rich state of Madhya Pradesh, The Heart of Incredible India.

To extend a warm welcome to IIFA and the Indian film industry to Madhya Pradesh, the host destination for IIFA Weekend & Awards 2020, Hon'ble Chief Minister, Shri Kamal Nath was joined by notable dignitaries from the Madhya Pradesh State Government. Also, revealing exciting details about the upcoming awards, movie megastars Salman Khan, Jacqueline Fernandez were joined by Co-Founders and Directors, Wizcraft International Entertainment, Sabbas Joseph, Andre Timmins and Viraf Sarkari along with Shashank Shrivastava, Executive Director, NEXA, the presenting partner of the IIFA AWARDS for the sixth successive year. Key partners, stakeholders and some of the most prominent members of the business community and media joined the official IIFA Press Conference held at Bhopal’s first international convention center, the magnificent heritage structure, Minto Hall.

Welcoming IIFA Weekend & Awards 2020 at the inaugural conference in Bhopal, Shri Kamal Nath, Hon'ble Chief Minister M.P. said, “It’s a happy moment that following the global journey of IIFA in some of the greatest cities across the world like Toronto, London, New York and Madrid, we in Madhya Pradesh have this opportunity to host the 2020 IIFA Awards in Indore. Madhya Pradesh is excited at the possibility’s that this unique event presents in meeting our objectives to profile our cities and state in India and internationally, increase tourism, bring more film productions, create jobs, build skills and talent in the region to become a media & entertainment hub and put us on the world tourism map. IIFA will bring joy and celebration across Bhopal and Indore for the local citizens as well as a special experience for the visitors. We are positive the legacy that prevails after hosting IIFA will bring additional benefits to Madhya Pradesh. This single event will also help in building a brand for the state.”

Aptly, promoted as the heart of Incredible India, Madhya Pradesh as a destination welcomes the world, offering an enormous scope for all categories of tourism: heritage tourism, wildlife tourism, cultural tourism, religious tourism and pilgrimages, tribal, etc. Building on its heritage, the culturally rich state is fast becoming ‘The Emerging Hub For Film Shooting’ and ‘Film Tourism’, attracting opportunities and international partnerships to build a first of its kind state-of- the-art ‘film city’ in India - a one-stop service for all film shooting.

The highly anticipated and coveted annual ceremony, IIFA Weekend & Awards 2020 will witness a grand celebration of Indian cinema’s finest talent, glitz, glamour, global dignitaries, world media, fans and enthusiasts from across the world in the New Media & Entertainment Industry Hub for India, Madhya Pradesh.

NEXA IIFA AWARDS 2020 to be hosted by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and the multi-talented actor Riteish Deshmukh, along with electrifying performances by Bollywood’s leading ladies, Jacqueline Fernandez and Katrina Kaif.

NEXA is the Presenting Partner of the NEXA IIFA Awards 2020 and extends its partnership for the sixth consecutive edition and would build excitement around #IIFA2020MP across its network in India.

Mr Shashank Srivastava, Executive Director, Marketing and Sales, Maruti Suzuki India said, “The automotive industry has moved beyond ‘Retail Experiences’. From innovations to hospitality, the entire journey has become more evolved and indulgent. NEXA’s association with the IIFA awards is a wonderful testament to that fact. We are happy to take our relationship with IIFA into its sixth year. We are inspired by the fact that our association brings us a step closer to our new-age customers who seek global experiences in their everyday lives. NEXA is as much about innovative technology, as it is about global design, sophisticated lifestyle and entertainment. In a short span we have touched a million hearts and in order to mark the splendid achievement of inspiring a million customers, NEXA has come up with an innovative project called the “ONE MILLION PIXEL ART”.

Speaking on the occasion, Salman Khan, said, “IIFA 2020 Weekend and Awards would be another landmark in my journey with IIFA & the Wizcraft family. It’s always a pleasure to be a part of IIFA and on its 21st celebration I am ecstatic to announce that I would be hosting IIFA Awards for the first time in my hometown, Indore. What a great start of the year, I’m excited to celebrate and contribute to Indian cinema’s mega celebration and connect with my fans in the true heart of Incredible India.”

Commenting on the occasion, Jacqueline Fernandez, said “IIFA is a true embodiment of a global phenomenon with its massive fan following that not only celebrates the brilliance of Indian cinema worldwide but also provides an excellent opportunity for the entire film fraternity to connect with their fans on both national and international platforms. I look forward to having a great time connecting with my fans and exploring the rich heritage and history at the heart of India.”

Sabbas Joseph, Founder-Director, Wizcraft International Entertainment, said, “As an institution and a brand in itself, being the only 21st century entertainment IP from Asia that has sustained over time, IIFA always strives to encompass and foster new connections and relationships, creating positive profiling, economic impact, encourage more trade, build investment opportunities and increase components like tourism and promote the destination globally. The 21st edition of IIFA Weekend & Awards in Madhya Pradesh offers an opportunity to not only present ‘The Heart Of India’ to the world but also showcase the destination, Madhya Pradesh as the new media & entertainment industry hub for India– the first of its kind We at IIFA are looking forward to another grand celebration with the entire film fraternity. Along with my co-founder directors, Andre Timmins and Viraf Sarkari, I would like to thank the people of Madhya Pradesh for welcoming us into their hearts as we look forward to weaving another memorable chapter of the IIFA story.”

Andre Timmins, Founder-Director, Wizcraft International Entertainment, adds, “At the onset of a new decade, I am so pleased to be sharing that the winning host destination for our 21st edition of IIFA Weekend & Awards is Madhya Pradesh in India. Having been known as the heart of India the cities of the region offer beauty, heritage, culinary excellence and culture to our film fraternity. I would like to thank Shri Kamal Nath, Hon'ble Chief Minister M.P. and MP Tourism for welcoming us to their home with open arms and commitment. We are excited to bring the world to India with IIFA and take our very own Bhopal & Indore to the world with another successful stop in the IIFA journey. We are hopeful of bringing a lot of opportunities to support the growth of the film & entertainment business in Madhya Pradesh.”

Over the next few weeks, details will be revealed about performing stars for each of the major events that will comprise the IIFA Weekend & NEXA IIFA Awards 2020. Also coming up soon will be details of tickets to enable fans and enthusiasts to join and attend the celebrations which will be held across the twin cities of Bhopal and Indore.

Mr. Nishant Pitti – CEO & Co-Founder - EaseMyTrip.com, said “Associating with IIFA as a Support Partner has always been interesting for EaseMyTrip. The event connects us with entertainment world but IIFA Award-2020 Madhya Pradesh will also give a boost to tourism in the state.”

Mr. Harsh Jain, from Woosh Washing Expert, said, "We take immense pleasure and pride in announcing our partnership with IIFA for the 4th consecutive year as a Cause Partner supporting the cause of “Barabari Ghar Se Shuru - Equality Begins At Home”.

IIFA is dedicated to building bridges across cinemas, businesses, communities and nations, creating everyone’s dream: “One People. One World”. After the successful homecoming edition, last year in Mumbai, IIFA is bringing its global brand presence to the heart of Incredible India - Madhya Pradesh, fast becoming the new Media & Entertainment industry hub for India.

Fans and media are welcome to keep abreast of the latest news and details on IIFA and Hindi cinema by logging on to www.iifa.com or checking out the social media handles:

Conceptualized and produced by Wizcraft International and supported by the key members of the Indian film fraternity, IIFA is the most appreciated South Asian film academy and a global platform that gives the Indian film fraternity an opportunity to reach audiences in international territories. The alliances made via the platform of IIFA provide huge benefits and gain to India and an equally important objective is to create similar benefits in the host country. The aim is to establish a system of mutual benefit to both India as well as the host destinations by boosting tourism, economic development, trade, culture, cross-border investments and film co-productions.

Wizcraft International promotes the IIFA Weekend & Awards globally each year and travel to new, exciting and beautiful destinations, taking the film fraternity to unite and celebrate the best of Indian film and culture, thereby taking Indian Cinema and India to a wider audience. www.iifa.com

About Wizcraft International Entertainment

Wizcraft International Entertainment, India’s leading media and live entertainment company is dedicated to showcasing its expertise on the world stage. Having conceptualized some of the grandest events globally including the 50 Years of Indian Independence, the 30 Years of Mauritian Independence, the 10 years of the South African Freedom Struggle, the Commonwealth Games Opening and Closing ceremonies in Delhi as well as the Handover ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, & the prestigious International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) Awards & Weekend for 19 years across the world, Wizcraft has contributed towards brand building for India in global destinations. It has pioneered and developed India’s biggest entertainment brand IIFA which has taken Indian Cinema and culture to the world. The growth story of the company reflects the evolution of the Indian event management & entertainment industry itself. Driven by its vision “Believe in the power of dreams” the company is committed to quality and innovation, while setting its sights on greater peaks of achievement.